London Nights - A Danfic
by sarahcw1
Summary: Lydia has always wanted to visit London. For their two-year anniversary, her boyfriend Eric mysteriously comes up with the money to pay for a two-week getaway to that very place. After a woeful turn of events that leaves her stranded in the city with nowhere to go, she's taken in by a kindhearted boy and his lion-loving flatmate, who make her see London in a whole new light.
1. Chapter 1

**LONDON NIGHTS: A DANFIC **

**Chapter 1**

"Please fasten your seatbelts as we prepare to land in Heathrow Airport. Thank you for flying with us and have a safe holiday." Lydia buckles her seatbelt and reaches over to wake up her boyfriend.

"Eric," she whispers in his ear. "Eric, wake up! We're here!" The tall, muscled boy opened his green eyes and looked over at Lydia. She was gazing eagerly out the airplane window at the city waiting below. _She's always more infatuated with the places she goes to than with the people she goes with_. Eric chuckled to himself as the plane descended.

The couple disembarked the plane and collected their luggage. As they approached the doors that marked the beginning of their London adventure, Lydia could feel herself getting more and more excited. She had always told Eric how she dreamed of visiting London one day, and now here she was, in the city of her dreams to celebrate two wonderful years with him. They stepped through the doors into the cold December air and dashed over to a waiting cab. "After you, m'lady," Eric said, opening the door for Lydia.

"Oh, thank you good sir!" She ducked into the little cab as Eric closed the door behind her. She opened her mouth to tell the driver where they wanted to go, but quickly remembered that Eric had planned the whole trip himself, so she had no idea where the cab's destination would be.

"The Royal Garden Hotel, please," said Eric as he climbed in. Lydia's eyes widened at the name and she whirled on Eric.

"There's no way you paid for The Royal Garden Hotel yourself! It's a five-star!" It was too good to be true. She had always fantasized about staying there, even for just one night. _But a whole two weeks? How did he pay for that?_

"I know you've always wanted to stay there, so I figured, what better reason is there to splurge a little than our two-year anniversary? Am I not allowed to spoil my own girlfriend?" Lydia chuckled at his reply.

"Thank you so much, Eric." She leaned her head onto his shoulder. "This trip is a dream come true and there is honestly no one else I'd rather spend it with." They sat like that for a while, simply enjoying each other's company as they watched the streets of London whir past them. The cab reached the hotel and Lydia insisted on paying the driver. "You've already spent so much on me! At least let me pay for the cab!" After arguing for a bit, Eric gave in and let Lydia pay.

They walked up the steps, pushed their way through the rotating door, and froze. The elegance of the hotel lobby was breathtaking – the walls were made of glass, accentuated by bright cedar beams. The floor was a dark marble that shone so brightly, the image of the enormous chandeliers hanging from the ceiling was reflected. Everything seemed to be trying to outdo everything else in the room in terms of perfection.

"Lydia?" She abruptly stopped marveling at the magnificent establishment and turned her attention to Eric.

"Sorry," she laughed. Its cheerful melody danced off of the walls and lilted through the room, making several people look up wondering where this joyful noise originated. "We should go check in." After checking in and grabbing the room keys, Eric led the way to their room. "The top floor?" Lydia asked eagerly as Eric punched the number 10 in the elevator.

"…Maybe," he said with a smirk as the elevator rose higher and higher. It came to a halt, and Eric led Lydia to room 330 – the penthouse suite. "After you, m'lady," said Eric as he swung the heavy door open for her.

The bedroom, though she doubted it would be possible upon entering the hotel, was even more stunning than the lobby. The first thing she saw upon entering was a breathtaking view of the London skyline from two windows that were so huge that they took up most of the far wall. The bathroom was on the right, directly after she stepped inside. It boasted a Jacuzzi-style bathtub and an elegant stone sink, both of which gleamed with pride. The bed was a king, adorned with a regal scarlet comforter and an infinite number of pillows. Past the bed was a step up leading to a sitting area featuring a couch with a coffee table in front of it and a spacious desk made of the same gorgeous cedar as was in the lobby.

After Lydia had finished exploring the room, Eric approached her. "This is so much better than I've ever dreamed coming to London would be," he said, pulling her close. She looked up into his emerald eyes and feigned surprise.

"You must complain about me raving about coming here at least three times a day – AND YOU'RE TRYING TO TELL ME YOU'RE ENJOYING YOURSELF?!" She giggled and draped her arms around his neck.

"Well, I'm here with you." He looked earnestly into her blue eyes and brushed a dark strand of hair from her face. Their lips met in a brief, loving embrace before they decided to finish unpacking and go explore the city.

They walked down the steps of the hotel and began walking down Kensington High Street, checking out their surroundings. "Oh, Lydia, look over there!" Eric pointed to a little roadside café across the street. "Let's go grab some coffee, it's freezing out." They jogged across the street and entered the shop, the tantalizing scent of coffee suddenly surrounding them. "I'll go order. I'll meet you over there." He pointed to a cozy booth in the corner and headed over to the counter. _He sure was in a rush to grab some coffees,_ Lydia thought as she slid into the booth to wait for Eric to return.


	2. Chapter 2

**LONDON NIGHTS: A DANFIC **

**Chapter 2**

Lydia didn't realize how hungry she was until she slid into the cushioned booth at the café. She found herself gazing over her shoulder, trying in vain to see around the corner and gaze upon the gleaming pastries, cakes, and cookies. _That boy had better be loaded down with bear claws and chocolate chip cookies when he gets back_, she thought eagerly. She glanced down at her phone to check the time. _He's been over there for ten minutes… What about coffee could be so time-consuming? _

At that thought, her phone beeped suddenly. She looked down at the screen – it was a text from her best friend Christine. Ever since they were little, Christine had always told Lydia that anything was possible. She was the one who made Lydia believe that money wasn't as huge of an issue as she made it out to be – she could visit London one day if she really wanted to.

Lydia read the text - _Hey girl! How's everything on the other side of the world? _Lydia smiled to herself as she hit reply. Christine could always manage to ease her mind.

_It's better than I ever could have dreamed! We're getting coffee right now at this adorable café down the street from our hotel._ As she pressed send, Eric came around the corner holding two coffees and a little box of pastries. "Wow, the line must've been miles long," said Lydia, gesturing to the practically empty store. "What took so long?" She chuckled and grabbed a fruit tart.

"I guess I just had a hard time deciding on what you'd like best!" He laughed nervously and took a bite of an apple Danish. Lydia peered at him suspiciously, but shrugged off the feeling and took a sip of coffee. The pair sat for a while, chatting and finishing off the box of goodies while sipping their coffees. "We should probably go pay for all this," Eric said, getting up to go over to the register.

"I'll come too!" Lydia said, jumping up and gathering up the trash. Eric hesitated, but just shrugged and led the way over to the register across the room. Lydia dropped the trash in a bin by the door and turned towards the cashier.

"Hey guys! How was everything?" The tall, curvaceous blonde stood behind the counter smiled warmly at them.

"Everything was delicious! Thank you!" Eric answered eagerly.

"Yeah, it was wonderful!" Lydia spoke up, feeling a little left out.

"Glad you guys liked everything! Hey, I don't think I've seen you around before," the cashier asked questioningly.

"We're on vacation," Eric clarified. "We're from LA."

"Oooh, I've always wanted to go there!" She grinned and stuck out her hand towards Eric. "I'm Ana." Eric shook her hand and introduced himself, and Lydia did the same. Ana paused a moment, lost in thought. After a moment, she said, "You guys seem pretty chill… I'm having a party at my house tonight if you want to come hang out." Eric grinned at her.

"We'd love to! Wouldn't we, Lydia?" He looked over at Lydia eagerly, begging her with his eyes to say yes.

Lydia hesitated, feeling a little suspicious. After being brutally stared down by Eric, she finally caved. "Sure, why not?"

"Awesome! It's going to be great. I've got a local band booked and there should be plenty of drinks to go around!" She clapped her hands and remembered that she was supposed to be ringing them up. "Oh, and that'll be £2.10." Eric paid for lunch, and they left the café to go get ready for the party.

"Well, don't you make friends fast!" Lydia exclaimed. Eric messed her hair and they raced each other back to the hotel. Lydia laughed in delight at the events that the day had brought so far. _Maybe this party won't be so bad after all_, thought Lydia. She leaped through the hotel doors, Eric right on her heels. They collapsed on the lobby floor, laughing hysterically, too lost in the moment to care about what anyone could have thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**LONDON NIGHTS: A DANFIC **

**Chapter 3**

Lydia and Eric bounded over to the elevator, still out of breath from the race back to the hotel. They headed up to their room to get ready for Ana's party, which happened to be only a couple of hours away. Lydia decided to wear her navy blue blouse, black skinny jeans, and black ankle boots, while Eric chose a blue and black flannel shirt with black jeans and converse. They headed outside to get a cab and make their way over to Ana's. When they finally managed to hail a cab, Lydia was hit with a sense of déjà vu that she did not know where they were going. "Um, Eric? Ana never gave us her address."

"Yeah, she did. I have it right here," he said, pulling a small slip of paper from his back pocket. He read off the address to the driver and replaced the note in his pocket.

"She definitely never told us where she lives," said Lydia firmly. "How do you know where to go?"

"Relax, she gave it to me when I was getting our food. I figured you'd say yes to the party, so I got it from her in advance." Eric stared out the window, obviously trying to escape the awkward situation he'd found himself in. Lydia found the suspicious feelings she'd been having earlier slowly start to return. _Why did she ask Eric to go to the party when she'd seen both of us walk into the café? And even more importantly, why did Eric say yes before even asking me if I wanted to go?_ Millions of thoughts raced through Lydia's mind, leaving her speechless to Eric's comment. They rode in silence for a while. It was nearing 8:00, so the sky was darkening and millions of tiny lights began to flare up all over the city.

The houses passing them by began getting larger and larger. "Wow, Ana lives in a really nice neighborhood…" whispered Lydia in awe. The cab pulled up to a huge, pale blue house with people scattered all around the front lawn. Eric got out of the cab and started heading up to the front door. "Eric, wait up!" Lydia called, but he couldn't hear her over the bass reverberating through the air. She sighed and passed a wad of cash to the driver, then turned to follow Eric inside.

The house was packed with people. She tried, in vain, to find Eric, but gave up almost the instant she started searching. Looking over her shoulder, she spotted a kiddie pool filled with ice, and a keg nestled in the center. She started making her way over to it – she was in desperate need of a drink. There was a guy filling his cup already, so she stood behind him to wait her turn, not expecting him to stand up and turn around so quickly when he'd finished. He slammed into Lydia, sloshing beer down his shirt. "Oh fuck! Oh my gosh I'm so sorry, are you alright?" He set the remainder of his drink in the pool and bent down to help Lydia up.

"I'm okay. It's my fault, I shouldn't have been standing so close," she said, straightening out her blouse. The guy was actually pretty cute – tall and slim, long, dark hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a smile that could light up a room.

"I'd offer to buy you a drink, but it looks like they're free. So in that case, can I pour you a drink to make up for my clumsiness?" He looked at Lydia hopefully, like if she wouldn't let him pour her a drink, he'd never be forgiven for bumping into her.

"Well, I suppose so…" She giggled and held out her cup to him. He knelt down to the keg and started filling her cup.

"So I take it you're American?"

"How'd you guess? Must've been the accent again," she replied, chuckling to herself. He stood up and handed her cup to her.

He scrunched up his face and said in a nasally American accent, "siiidewallk." Lydia burst into laughter. She couldn't help thinking that Eric would probably be offended by this guy's mimicking of Americans – but she thought it was the most hilarious thing she'd ever heard. "So," he began, after refilling his own cup, "does the mysterious American girl have a name?"

"I'm Lydia." She smiled warmly at him and stuck out her hand. He took it and introduced himself.

"Just call me Dan." He smiled back at her as they shook hands. "So Lydia, what brings you to London?"

"My boyfriend and I are spending our two-year anniversary here. He knows I've always wanted to come here, so he paid for two weeks here." She drooped a little at the mention of Eric, remembering what happened upon arriving.

"Wow, the boyfriend must be LOADED. But in all seriousness, that's such an awesome anniversary present." Dan scanned the crowd for a moment. "Is he here? Your boyfriend, I mean."

"Yeah, but I don't know where he is at the moment. He was acting really weird on the way here and he didn't even say a word to me when we arrived. He just got out of the cab and walked inside." She looked around, trying to see if Eric was anywhere in sight. "I should probably go find him – I haven't seen him since we got here."

"That's fine. I hope we'll see each other again, you're the coolest American I've met in a while." He chuckled and shot her another one of his heart-melting smiles.

"Definitely! See you around, Dan." She smiled apologetically and turned around to search for Eric again. She looked through the crowd, checked the lawn and the back patio, and still couldn't find him. Finding the stairs, she climbed up and started opening some doors. "Eric? Where are you?" she muttered, starting to panic. As if on cue, she found him in the next room she looked in – but she immediately wished she hadn't opened that door.

Lydia's arms fell limp to her sides. All the blood drained from her face and she felt as though she'd been punched in the stomach. A small squeak escaped her lips as she looked at Eric and Ana's bodies entwined on the bed. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she watched their lips wrestle for dominance. "Happy Anniversary, Eric," she forced out. His head jerked up and his face paled. Ana looked over and a tiny smile of triumph found its way onto her face.

"Lydia I –" But he didn't get the chance to finish whatever he was going to say. Lydia was already running down the stairs and out the front door, tears streaming down her face. She ran through the streets of London, trying to escape what she'd just witnessed. She eventually found her way back to the hotel and hastily packed her belongings, leaving for good.

Not knowing anywhere to go, she found a park bench, covered in snow, and collapsed onto it. She started sobbing into her hands, causing her entire body to shudder. _What am I going to do? Where am I going to go?How am I going to get home? _As these questions raced through her mind, she hadn't realized that someone had been following her ever since she left the party. She didn't realize that this person was approaching her, at that very moment, on that lonely park bench.

_**Chapter Extras (copy and paste links into your browser):**_

_**Lydia's House Party Outfit: **__ post/41887071084_

_**Eric's House Party Outfit:**_ _ post/41887517619_


	4. Chapter 4

**LONDON NIGHTS: A DANFIC **

**Chapter 4**

Lydia, still crying, felt a light tap on her shoulder. She slowly pulled her hands away from her face and looked up at who was standing over her. "Oh," she said, recognizing the face, "what are you doing here?" She wiped the tears from her cheeks and gave him a small smile.

"I saw what happened at Ana's…" Dan looked at her with an inordinate amount of sympathy in his eyes. "Mind if I sit down?" He pointed to the bench and raised his eyebrows a bit. Lydia nodded and stared down at her feet. Dan brushed some snow off of the bench and sat down next to her. "I know this is probably a really stupid question, but do you think you're going to be okay?" He cupped a hand under her chin and turned her head to face him. His warm brown eyes gazed into her pale blue ones, still brimming with tears. For a moment, she felt the weight of the world lift from her shoulders as he looked at her so concernedly. Then she remembered everything that had happened and quickly looked away.

"I guess I'll be okay eventually… Right now I just feel kind of numb, though. I mean – everything was going great!" Tears started to spill out of her eyes once more. "This was our two year anniversary! None of this was supposed to happen!" She heaved a giant sob and Dan pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. "Did I do something wrong? What did I do wrong?!"

Dan looked down at her abruptly. "Listen to me," he said, holding her at arm's length to get a better view of her face. "You did absolutely nothing wrong. I barely know you and I knew you were worth coming after tonight. If there wasn't something special about you, do you think I'd be here right now?" Lydia wiped her eyes and shrugged, leaning into him again. She could barely hold herself up anymore from the emotional strain of the day dragging her down.

"I don't know where I'm going to go… I'm definitely not going back to that hotel." She sighed and started fiddling with her hair.

"You're staying at my place. At least until you've arranged for somewhere else to stay…" Lydia peered up at him.

"You don't have to do that… Just because you feel bad for me doesn't mean you should have to make room for me at your place."

"I'm not doing this because I feel bad for you. You're exhausted." He reached over and took her hands in his. "You're freezing. You need a place to stay. _I_ have a couch. Until you make other arrangements, you _are_ staying with me. Come on, my flat isn't too far from here." Lydia tried to protest, but it didn't do a bit of good. "I'm not going to let you sleep on a freezing park bench. Don't be ridiculous and come on."

She reluctantly got up and followed Dan a couple blocks down the road to a tall housing complex. "Here we are." He held the door open for Lydia and smiled warmly at her. "After you."

"Why thank you!" She mimed a courtesy and gave him a tiny smile as he walked inside, wondering if this ruined trip might not be so ruined after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**LONDON NIGHTS: A DANFIC **

**Chapter 5**

The lift doors opened and Lydia and Dan stepped into the hall. "It's right down here," Dan said, leading her to a door a few paces away. He unlocked the heavy wood door and swung it open before her. "Entrez vous," he said, smiling down at her and making a grand gesture towards the door.

"Oh, merci beaucoup!" Lydia walked inside and followed a hall towards what looked like the living room. She flopped down on the couch, immediately grateful that it wasn't a park bench.

"Can I help you?" Lydia jumped up and whirled around, surprised at hearing this new voice. On the other end of the room was the kitchen, and standing in said kitchen was an extremely confused-looking guy with shaggy black hair in a t-shirt and pajama pants clutching a bowl of cereal.

"Um, hi." She looked around awkwardly, not expecting to find someone else here. "Dan told me-"

"Phil, this is Lydia." Dan entered the room and tossed his coat onto one of the armchairs. "She needed somewhere to stay, so I helped her out. Lydia, this is my flatmate Phil." Phil looked from Lydia to Dan, then back to Lydia.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Phil asked Dan, and without waiting for a reply, made his way over to the door. Dan gave Lydia an apologetic look before following Phil out into the hallway. The door slammed shut and Lydia sank back down onto the couch, questions racing through her mind.

Dan closed the door, a bit more loudly than he intended to, and walked over to Phil. "Dan, what are you up to?" Phil eyed his friend, a suspicious feeling percolating in his gut.

"I'm not up to anything, Phil. I know it's hard to believe that I'm just trying to do something nice for someone, but it's true." Dan crossed his arms over his chest and waited for a response.

"Well would you at least tell me how you found some American girl lost in London with nowhere to stay?"

"She was here with her boyfriend. Apparently Lydia caught him and Ana in bed together at the party and ran out, so I figured she'd need somewhere to crash for a few nights." Dan looked hopefully to Phil. "She's really cool, Phil. I wouldn't have gone after her if there wasn't something special about her. You know that."

Phil looked at Dan concernedly. His voice was soft when he replied. "I do know that. I just don't want you to get too attached and be devastated when she goes home."

Dan rolled his eyes. "I _promise_, Phil. I won't get too attached." He held out his hand to Phil. "She can stay?" He raised his eyebrows expectantly. Phil hesitated a moment, then grasped Dan's hand and shook it.

"She can stay. But ONLY until she can find other arrangements."

"No problem, _mom_." Dan punched him in the arm jokingly and headed over to the door. Before heading back inside, he turned to Phil once more. "Thanks for being cool with this, man. You won't regret it." He turned the knob and walked back into the flat. Phil shook his head.

"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this."

Lydia heard the door swing open and she sat up a little straighter. She'd spent the last few minutes simply trying not to doze off. Dan jogged into the living room with another dazzling smile on his face. "So, can I stay here?" she asked sleepily.

"Sure can." The door closed one more time and Phil appeared in the room. He walked over to the kitchen, grabbed his bowl of cereal off the counter, and headed over to, presumably, his bedroom.

"Night, you guys." He waved over his shoulder as he walked into the room and shut the door behind him. Lydia smirked and looked at Dan.

"Cereal at 11:00 at night?" She raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Yeah, he just eats whatever he feels like eating, whenever he feels like it." Dan chuckled to himself. "Of course, I can't really talk." He patted his stomach and looked longingly at the kitchen. Lydia laughed and sank back into the couch.

"So I'm on the couch, right?" Dan nodded at her.

"Yep. The bathroom is down the hall and to the left, and feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen." A silence fell between them.

"Well," Lydia said, breaking the tension, "I guess I'll see you in the morning." She smiled up at him and he gave her a thumbs-up.

"Sounds like a plan." He walked over to another door, and before pushing it open, said, "Goodnight, Lydia. Sleep well." She waved and said goodnight. She opened up her suitcase and stared at its contents that had been thrown hectically inside. _That's pretty much how my life is looking right now. Hectic, like the inside of my suitcase._ She pulled out the t-shirt from the Muse concert she'd gone to a few years ago and a pair of sweatpants and headed into the bathroom to get changed.

When she walked out of the bathroom, she found a pillow and a couple blankets sitting on the couch that weren't there before. She smiled to herself and remembered one of her favorite quotes:

"**Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.****" – Leo Buscaglia**


	6. Chapter 6

**LONDON NIGHTS: A DANFIC **

**Chapter 6**

Lydia's eyes fluttered open the next morning. It took her a moment to remember where she was. Then all of the events from the previous day rushed back into her mind – _I'm at Dan's flat. I'm at Dan's flat because Eric cheated on me and left me with nowhere to go._ She felt the tears start rushing back to her eyes, but quickly forced them back. _I will not cry over him. I've already wasted enough of my tears_. She looked around the dark flat and glanced over at the blue fluorescent numbers on the clock. _6 AM._ She swung her legs down, her feet brushing the soft carpet as she went to stand up. There was nothing that she wanted to do more than text Christine, telling her everything that happened, but it was 11 PM back in LA – she was most likely at a party, too drunk to function.

Glancing over at the curtains, Lydia finally decided to spend the rest of the morning watching the sunrise. She crept back over to the couch, grabbed a blanket, and wrapped it around her shoulders. Slowly and quietly, so as to not wake anyone up, she slid the door open and stepped out into the cold morning air. It was a cloudless morning, so as the sun slowly rose from its nighttime slumber and crept higher and higher, there was nothing to hide the magnificent blues, golds, and pinks that it threw across the sky. As it rose, the sun's beams caressed Lydia's face, warming it from the chilly morning breeze that had been blowing every now and again.

Lydia didn't know how long she's been sitting out there when she heard the door slide open. Dan walked up to her sporting a blue robe, smiling down at her and holding out a steaming cup of coffee. "I wasn't sure how you took your coffee, so I just put cream and sugar in it and hoped that was fine." She took the mug from him, their hands brushing against each other for a moment. He pulled one of the white plastic lawn chairsthat were set out on the balcony over next to Lydia and sat down.

"Cream and sugar is perfect," she said, taking a sip that warmed her to the core. She hadn't realized quite how cold she'd gotten. She glanced over at Dan – his long, dark hair was messy from sleep, but it didn't look awful on him. He was leaning forward, elbows on knees, taking a long drink of coffee. He swallowed, and then asked, "So, did you sleep okay? I know the couch isn't the most comfortable thing in the world…"

"I slept really well, actually. It might have been because of how exhausted I was, but whatever." She laughed and leaned back in her chair, letting the sun caress her face. "For being almost New Years, it's a really beautiful morning. Not too freezing." Dan chuckled and stood up.

"Since it's going to be such an unexpectedly nice day today, I was wondering if you might want to let Phil and I show you around the city later." Lydia's eyes lit up immediately.

"I'd love that!" She jumped up, the blanket falling from her shoulders as she hugged Dan. He staggered back a bit, but quickly recovered and hugged her back. She let him go and picked up the blanket. "What time is it, anyways?" Dan pressed his face against the glass door, squinting at the glowing numbers on the clock.

"When I came out here it was around 9:30, but it looks like it's almost 10 now." He turned to look at Lydia, who in turn gestured towards the door.

"We should probably go get dressed properly then. It wouldn't really be socially acceptable to be walking around London in our pajamas." Dan smirked.

"It might not be socially acceptable, but plenty of people do it anyways." Lydia playfully smacked his arm, causing him to recoil in mock-pain. They both collapsed in a fit of laughter before Lydia finally managed to slide the door open and they ran back inside the flat. Phil was standing in the kitchen, leaning over a bowl of cereal on the counter.

"Lydia, why was Dan invited to your balcony party and I wasn't?" Phil feigned disappointment as he slowly had another spoonful of cereal. Lydia ran up to Phil and tackle-hugged him, causing him to drop his spoon into he bowl with a splash.

"I'M SORRY PHIL! CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?!" Everyone burst into laughter. Lydia fell to the floor in a fit of giggles and Dan immediately ran to her side, fanning her face and calling for smelling salts. Phil tackle-hugged Lydia back, yelling that she was forgiven. The trio sat on the kitchen floor just laughing and laughing until their sides ached. After they'd all calmed down enough to manage normal conversation, Lydia said, "so I'm getting the grand tour today?"

"The grandest of all tours," said Phil. "The most magnificent tour you've ever been on in your life. But first, breakfast! And we should probably change…" Lydia and Dan nodded in agreement. They each had breakfast: Phil and Lydia had cereal and Dan had a slice of leftover pizza ("What?! It's got lots of nutritional value! You've got your bread, your cheese, your tomato, and your pepperoni! That's at least three different food groups!"), then they got out of their pajamas and into street clothes. "Is everybody ready to go?" Phil stood in the kitchen at he called out to the flat. He heard the bathroom door open and Lydia called out that she was ready to go. Dan yelled from his room that he was almost ready. It was about noon when everyone was ready to go and they headed out the door.

Dan and Phil led Lydia all over London, showing her all the touristy things first, like Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and the London Eye, then showing her some of their favorite stores and areas all over the city. They excitedly led her into an older store containing lots of videogames, candy, and records. Dan was telling Lydia how he and Phil had loved coming there since they were younger, even before they met, when she saw Phil tense up, almost as if he'd seen something that frightened him. "Hey guys," Phil spoke quickly and quietly, ushering them to the door. "I changed my mind, I think I want to get smoothies instead. Let's go." After a few seconds of fighting Phil, Dan saw something over his shoulder and froze in his tracks, his face paling.

"Hey, I'm going to buy something really quick. I'll meet you guys outside." Dan seemed far away, but insisted on going over to whatever he saw. Lydia scanned the area Dan was staring at and saw nothing at first. Then, out of one of the aisles stepped a tall, curvaceous brunette with soft features except for her piercing green eyes. Dan forced his way between Phil and Lydia and started over to her.

"Come on Lydia. Let's wait outside." They walked out of the shop and anxiously watched Dan's conversation with the girl through the window. She seemed really distracted as Dan made an effort to strike up a conversation with her. She looked at him sadly and kept shaking her head as she spoke. As the conversation went on, Dan's shoulder's drooped more and more. Eventually, the girl walked away, leaving Dan alone, staring at a wall of records. He eventually shuffled to the door, straightening up and plastering an obviously fake smile on his face before going out to Lydia and Dan.

"Hey, guys. I'm kind of tired, actually. Let's head back to the flat." He started walking away, not waiting for a reply. Lydia shoots Phil a questioning look and he whispers that he'd explain when they got back.

Once they get back to the flat, Dan immediately goes to his room. He'd been complaining about how "tired" he was once they got within a block of the flat. Phil and Lydia head into the living room, exhausted and confused. "So what the hell just happened, Phil?"

He shook his head and put his face in his hands. "Genevieve," he mumbled. He lifted his head and looked at Lydia with tired eyes. "Everyone calls her Jen, though. She was Dan's last girlfriend. You don't understand how in love with her he was… They'd spend every moment of every day together – I've never seen him happier than when he was with her." Lydia sighed and leaned back on the couch. "But that girl is a free spirit. It might seem like she wants to be with you forever, but I honestly don't think she's capable of true commitment. One day, out of the blue, she was just gone. No warning, no explanation. Dan was depressed out of his mind for the longest time. Then, I finally convinced him to go to that party last night, and he met you, and I thought…" Phil stood up exasperatedly. "I thought you changed something in him. I thought he was finally his old self again. He was happier this morning than he's been in weeks. Then Jen showed up again and ruined everything." He shook his head and collapsed back onto the couch.

Lydia was in awe. _How could someone just leave like that? What did Dan do to deserve that? _She considers going to his room to try to cheer him up, but she felt it would be in vain. Phil and Lydia spent the rest of the evening sitting on the couch, letting Dan fight his inner demons, while all the while fighting their own.


	7. Chapter 7

**LONDON NIGHTS: A DANFIC**

**Chapter 7**

Lydia woke up early again the next morning, remembering the horror that was the previous day. She felt obligated to try to cheer Dan up, so she headed into the kitchen to make breakfast. She shuffled through the contents of the cupboards and the refrigerator until she scrounged up all the ingredients she needed to make a good-old-fashioned American breakfast: pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and bacon.

By the time she'd loaded up a couple of plates with breakfast foods galore, it was about 10 AM. While she was cooking, Phil came in to grab his cereal, glanced at her suspiciously, shrugged, and padded back off to his room without a word. With both plates in hand, Lydia walked over to Dan's room and gently knocked on the door.

"Dan?" She heard some shuffling behind the door, then silence. As she was turning around to walk back to the kitchen in defeat, the door opened a bit, revealing a disheveled-looking Dan, wrapped up in a comforter and looking curiously at Lydia and the plates she was holding.

"What's up?" he asked, genuinely trying to sound upbeat, but obviously groggy from sadness and lack of sleep.

"I thought maybe you'd like some breakfast." She nodded her head towards the plates in her hands. "You never came out for dinner last night, so I figured you must be hungry…"

"I'd love that, actually. Come on in," he said, holding the door open for her. "Damn, Phil never makes me breakfast like this," he muttered under his breath. She laughed as she walked over to his bed, setting a plate precariously atop the heap of blankets for him. _He must have been tossing and turning all night_, she thought to herself. She sat down on the floor near the foot of the bed and started picking at her own plate.

Dan chuckled when he saw her on the floor. "Don't be silly." He sat down on the bed by his plate and patted the spot next to him. "You made me _breakfast_. Why would I let you sit on the floor?" She smiled and clambered up onto the bed, taking a seat next to him. She couldn't help looking over at him and noticing that underneath the comforter, he was only in his boxers.

Dan took a bite of pancake and looked up at her with his warm brown eyes. "These are literally the best pancakes I've ever had," he said, still looking at her in awe. Lydia felt herself start to blush.

"My mom's recipe," she said, also trying a bite. She looked over at him again, and this time, he wasn't eating – he was looking at her curiously. She started to feel self-conscious with him looking at her so intently. "What?" she asked, not being able to take his stare anymore.

"Sorry, I was just thinking," he said, quickly averting his eyes.

"Thinking about what?" Lydia moved a bit closer to him. He turned his head to look at her, and their faces were only inches apart.

"I was just thinking…" Dan glanced down at her lips. "…that something might actually be going right for once." He was so close that Lydia could smell the remnants of his cologne that still lingered on his skin from the day before. He reached up and stroked her cheek gently with his hand, staring into her pale blue eyes. "But I don't want to risk this failing because of my unresolved issues," he said gently. "Let me work on me, then we can work on us." He leaned in and kissed her softly on the cheek, sending electricity through her whole body.

Dan leaned back a bit to look into her eyes again. "Those eyes…" he whispered. Lydia felt herself flush and she looked down at her hands bashfully. Dan chuckled and lifted her head up with a hand under her chin. "They're the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen," he said earnestly. "Seriously, I feel like I could just drown in them if I looked hard enough."

At that moment, Lydia jumped, feeling her phone buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out to see who had texted her and saw Christine's name flashing across the screen. And that's when realization hit her. "Dan…" She looked up at him to see him polishing off the last bit of bacon from his plate. "You know I can't stay forever, right? I have a plane ticket to go back to LA at the end of next week." She saw his jaw tense at the reminder.

"I know," Dan said after a moment. "But that's a week and a half in the future, and I'm all for living right now." He looked at her seriously for a moment, as if considering the possibilities. Then he said, "I'm not sure what it is yet, but there's just something about you that's going to make it incredibly difficult for me to say goodbye." Lydia reached over and touched his hand lightly.

"It will never be goodbye," she said earnestly. They smiled at each other, feeling the bond already forming between them.

After a moment, they decided to take the dishes back to the kitchen and get into their street clothes. Phil, noticing Dan's cheerful mood, looked at Lydia curiously. She just smiled, shrugged, and headed out the door with her two new friends, as they were headed to grab some coffees and finish seeing the city. As she walked next to Dan, she was surprised at how at ease she felt – as though everything, for once, would turn out exactly right.


End file.
